Hua Hin seafood restaurants, slammed for overcharging, defend their prices

[farcanell]

Maybe the out of towners were expecting a two tiered price system, vs farang rate food ???

[baansgr]

18 people, coconuts, beers and soft drinks, that's not exactly overpriced.

[Metapod]

15 adults + 3 kids for 7000 thb seafood at the beach? doesn't seem that bad at all.

 

i was expecting a proper ripoff. 

[Metapod]

50 minutes ago, baansgr said:

18 people, coconuts, beers and soft drinks, that's not exactly overpriced.

 

Yup. Also the soft drink isn't going to be at 7/11 prices. This is cold drinks served at the beach, so you pay more for that. Add in the food cost for 18 people and it isn't bad at all.

[speckio]

7000 baht for 18 people eating seafood sounds like a bargain to me!

 

The headline makes it sound like they were billed differently because they were farang! <deleted> man?!?!?!

[Thaidream]

Way overpriced... I would have looked at the menu and walked... plenty of other places reasonably priced... places like this will lose business and eventually fold.

[champers]

3 hours ago, balo said:

Try Pattaya instead and save money. Plenty of seafood restaurants here.

And you won't die of boredom after a week either.

[petedk]

9 hours ago, Get Real said:

Stupid tourists, again! Complaining. Yeah, if it is so expensive in Thailand, then go home to your own country and eat the food you appearently can afford.

From what I understand, they are in their own country. The tourists were Thais.

[SunsetT]

7 hours ago, Get Real said:

Oh dear! That only missleading thing is comments from the tourists. If you are interested in the price, and can´t see it, then you ask politely for it.
Was that too simple, or can we agree on that?

For the quantity that sounds reasonable to me having paid over 1000thb for a really good BBQ seafood meal for 2 at 'Lung Jo's', I think, in the middle of Hua Hin night market in October: 1 big plate of rock lobsters, 1 big plate of queen scallops, 1 bbq squid, I big fried sea fish salad, garlic bread and/or prawn fried rice, and a huge baked potato. Salad and rice excepted, all were cooked perfectly in garlic butter, which was a mistake actually, as I only wanted garlic butter as a dip (which we also received) with a beer Leo and a Spy. Amazing friendly and fast service from the young waiters who couldnt do enough for you. Been to Hua Hin many times over the years and never knew which Night Market seafood restaurant to choose, but in future, without hesitation, I will go straight to Lung Jo's.

[ravip]

 7,380 Baht / 15 Adults = 492 Baht per person.

Expensive? Seriously some people should really stop eating seafood!

Quality tourists once more!

 

[Morch]

We don't go down to Hua Hin all that often, especially not weekends and holidays. But when we do, we're on vacation - it almost a given we'll throw some money around, same as in every vacation spot. Expecting it would be cheaper or even "the same" as elsewhere is unrealistic.

 

My gripe with restaurants in Thailand is less about food prices going up, but rather dish sizes getting smaller. But still, not too bad, even if (as others pointed out) there are better dining locations around the globe. That said, we actually find Hua Hin not too shabby on the size front, compared with other places. My extended Thai family seems to feel the same.

 

Under 500 baht per head, especially if including drinks and the food ain't half bad - I'd hit that. Especially if it's a full family gathering sort of thing.

[thaiguzzi]

10 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

I may be wrong, but given the name of the complainant, Ploynapas Lukthongmak, this particular tourist is already in their own country.

 

Yep, there she is on Facebook Thailand:

https://th-th.facebook.com/ploynapas.lukthongmak

 

Foreigners go home eh?

 

 

 

Yep, it's a well known fact amongst Thais - DO NOT eat at the seafood resto's in Hua Hin. This is old news and HH has been expensive for a decade. Missus did it once many years ago, learned her lesson, never again.

[anon537687643]

I discovered a long time ago that most high end restaurant food in Thailand is completely overpriced for what is often very average food and usual small sized portions! One reason I make sure I have a small kitchen and cook my own! oh and now in Lanta with their crazy restaurant prices, it’s 7-11 meals for few days and they seem to be doing a booming trade, shelves emptying quick and the mass of over priced restaurants very few customers!

 

 

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[Scouse123]

Times are a changing and have been for the last 15 years dramatically,

 

It used to be said as prices were creeping up in Thailand that hotels, eating and drinking, and taxis were still very good value for money compared with the West.

 

Good hotels are still a lot cheaper than the UK, eating and drinking no longer are!        Taxis......well depends on where you are, but I wouldn't think so in the likes of Samui or Phuket.

 

However, Thailand is neither cheap nor good value for money in so many areas these days unless you are eating purely local fruit and vegetable produce and local rice dishes. Clothing, superior in quality and price back home, perfumes and aftershave, back home. any foreign foodstuffs obviously, back home. The main thing Thailand offers now is an easy pace of life but that is down to you yourself, the weather, cheap house rentals, and utilities, for those who rent.

 

Even in my partying days, the bars were a fun filled experience and inexpensive to have a great weekend, whether you took and partied with the ladies or not, those days are long gone now. To have a good night out now, you will definitely be on the wrong side of 8,000-10,000 baht in Bangkok or Pattaya, anyway, at least in the places I go, you would.

 

I stopped eating seafood a few years ago now after seeing Bangkok just increase their prices at seafood places in what seemed to be on a weekly basis. I still eat seafood on my trips to Hanoi and Halong bay where even on the water's edge of Halong Bay, seafood remains outstanding value as is beer, soft drinks and everything else.

[ravip]

1 hour ago, thaiguzzi said:

Yep, it's a well known fact amongst Thais - DO NOT eat at the seafood resto's in Hua Hin. This is old news and HH has been expensive for a decade. Missus did it once many years ago, learned her lesson, never again.

Strange... All the Thais living in HH (at least the ones I know) do patronise the seafood resto's in Hua Hin - and quite often!!!

 

Any place that's cheaper than 500 Baht per pax? How much and for what?

p.s Yes, I do eat seafood quite often at HH - when I am there.

Edited December 26, 2017 by ravip

[Boycie]

The Thai tourists should read Thaivisa.com more often and they would have known better

 

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/750922-22-restaurants-in-hua-hin-guilty-of-overcharging-their-customers/

 

Although they could be forgiven. The above story is from August 2014

[HHTel]

17 hours ago, Get Real said:

Stupid tourists, again! Complaining. Yeah, if it is so expensive in Thailand, then go home to your own country and eat the food you appearently can afford.

I believe they were in their own country - Thailand!

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, Seligne2 said:

1. Counting the 3 children as one adult, the total comes to about 460 baht per person. More than I spend for lunch but not outrageous.

2. If you want to eat cheaply, eat vegetarian or eat animals that can be seen and counted, like chickens and pigs. Seafood is expensive because we have already killed most of it.

3. I was surprised to see that the "authorities" have some say in food pricing. Nothing good can come of that.

I usually spend 500 to 750 baht each when I take the Mrs out so yes in line, I would probably pay more in fancier places especially for seafood. It has gone up substantially in teh last 5 years, it is regarded as a luxury in the West. I have been 'ripped off' in my perception a couple of times when I have ordered a live fish or larger prawns and these are priced by weight. Hard to judge what the whole plate will cost then, A steamed fish is off the menu at some places for that reason.

I don't mind the authorities getting involved for businesses 'on the beach' as I hope they are protecting against gouging.

 

Caveat Emptor as they say in the Vatican. Check prices before ordering particularly if there aren't any,  beware your ladies relatives as they will get into an ordering frenzy if they think you are paying, and realize bill padding happens here.

Edited December 26, 2017 by jacko45k

[Sydebolle]

So, when Thais screw Thais (here Ploynapas Lukthongmak got nailed) then it is a state affair? 

[greatwhitenorth]

ordering off a seafood menu  that prices the food by weight is a recipe for disaster. 

 

my wife tells me there is no way you will come out satisfied and there is nothing you can do about it.  

[Stargeezr]

While in Hua Hin I usually have my sea food at some restaurant in or near the night

markets, or at my friends house. On the beach I always order chicken fried rice

Kao Pat Gai, usually about 125 baht and tasty every time. Never eat sea food right at

the sea unless you can see the price and the food first. My rule anyway.

Geezer

[Thunder26]

On 12/26/2017 at 8:56 AM, Thian said:

I don't see the ripoff if prices were shown on the menu. So why is this news?

 

Food in Thailand is just expensive these days, it's cheaper to eat in Europe if you like high quality food in decent portions.

Thailand is getting more and more expensive by each day. Even the stuff sold in 7/11 is getting expensive. Sugar free tea is 30 Baht for 0.5 L bottle ( I thought the government was taxing only sugar loaded drinks ) and all the other items went a few Baht up.  

[Thian]

We ate in a westernstyle thai pub yesterday.

 

I ordered wagyu sirloin 250 gram with sauteed vegy....the steak was good but only 125-150 gram and had a lot of fat pieces on it.  The vegy was 2 slices fried cucumber, some fried pepper plus 2 small tomato's.

 

For me that is cheating, 750 baht for that is fine but 250 gram should be 250 gram.

[thaiguzzi]

11 hours ago, ravip said:

Strange... All the Thais living in HH (at least the ones I know) do patronise the seafood resto's in Hua Hin - and quite often!!!

 

Any place that's cheaper than 500 Baht per pax? How much and for what?

p.s Yes, I do eat seafood quite often at HH - when I am there.

Let me re-phrase that for you then.

Thai tourists ie Thais on holiday for a day or three in HH.

Not the wealthy Thais living in HH.

Better?

Those prices quoted in the OP are about double what one would pay in Chonburi, Chantaburi et al on the other seaboard (for Thai tourists) and double what one would pay up country that needs 24 hour delivery in a refrigerated truck.

So, price gouging in Hua Hin?

It's reknowned for it.

[Metapod]

1 minute ago, thaiguzzi said:

Let me re-phrase that for you then.

Thai tourists ie Thais on holiday for a day or three in HH.

Not the wealthy Thais living in HH.

Better?

Those prices quoted in the OP are about double what one would pay in Chonburi, Chantaburi et al on the other seaboard (for Thai tourists) and double what one would pay up country that needs 24 hour delivery in a refrigerated truck.

So, price gouging in Hua Hin?

It's reknowned for it.

 

Maybe you should stop hanging around your bargirls and their families.

 

All my Thai friends who visit Hua Hin eat Seafood when they go there. They aren't rich and they don't live in Hua Hin either.

 

Some of you guys are so out of touch and think you have your finger on the pulse of Thailand. It is hilarious.

[impulse]

57 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

Those prices quoted in the OP are about double what one would pay in Chonburi, Chantaburi et al on the other seaboard (for Thai tourists) and double what one would pay up country that needs 24 hour delivery in a refrigerated truck.

So, price gouging in Hua Hin?

It's reknowned for it.

 

+1 

 

They had a meal and weren't happy with the value they received, so they posted a review indicating as much.  Happens millions of times every day, and all over the world. 

 

People read the reviews, ponder the information, and are free to agree or disagree with the critics' opinion.  Maybe they were cheated, maybe they were just surprised by the prevailing prices.  Regardless, the pricing information is good to know, and they have done a service by posting it. 

 

[thaiguzzi]

1 hour ago, Metapod said:

 

Maybe you should stop hanging around your bargirls and their families.

 

All my Thai friends who visit Hua Hin eat Seafood when they go there. They aren't rich and they don't live in Hua Hin either.

 

Some of you guys are so out of touch and think you have your finger on the pulse of Thailand. It is hilarious.

Thank you for insulting my Thai wife and our family.

Hope we meet up some day. I look forward to it. You won't.

[Morch]

2 hours ago, Thian said:

We ate in a westernstyle thai pub yesterday.

 

I ordered wagyu sirloin 250 gram with sauteed vegy....the steak was good but only 125-150 gram and had a lot of fat pieces on it.  The vegy was 2 slices fried cucumber, some fried pepper plus 2 small tomato's.

 

For me that is cheating, 750 baht for that is fine but 250 gram should be 250 gram.

 

Getting a quality steak for a reasonable price here is a category by its own....

[Morch]

About the "by weight" thing with seafood...

 

I think many times customers do not pay attention (which may or may not be assisted by dodgy menus), fail to estimate what they are getting or just don't ask straight up. On the last bit, Mrs. and me have no face issues consulting the owner or waitress as to dish sizes, rarely any misunderstandings or disappointment in this regard.  

[anon537687643]

 
Maybe you should stop hanging around your bargirls and their families.
 
All my Thai friends who visit Hua Hin eat Seafood when they go there. They aren't rich and they don't live in Hua Hin either.
 
Some of you guys are so out of touch and think you have your finger on the pulse of Thailand. It is hilarious.

Oh we do! We know how we are 2nd class and cash cows!


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